Virginia Beach GrowSmart Has Moved
The Virginia Beach GrowSmart Office has relocated to the Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library at 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach.
GrowSmart supports early education businesses and professionals, largely female-owned small businesses. In 2010, GrowSmart collaborated with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and created an innovative business class for early care and education professionals. Business consultant and early education industry expert Lauren Small developed this award‐winning program. The SBDC Early Education Business Program is similar to a mini-MBA program and consists of three major components:
One-On-One Mentoring
Directors and owners meet with an SBDC Business Counselor to develop and work toward achieving business goals, streamlining operations, and implementing industry best practices.
Industry-Specific Training
Participants in the program attend a business management course specifically developed for early education child care providers. Participants improve their level of understanding of complex business and management processes in the key operational areas of accounting, marketing, human resources management, and leadership.
Essential Business Services
A key element of this program’s success is the provision of services such as website and logo design, signage, accounting software, and budget preparation. These critical, yet often overlooked, aspects of a business have a direct impact, both on the profitability of the business, as well as both the actual and perceived quality of the operation.
The Early Education Business Program provides early education businesses the knowledge, understanding, and tools they need to operate a sustainable and profitable small business. The success of the year-long course is attributed to providing a combination of industry-specific small business management training as well as intensive one‐on‐one mentoring.
Success Story
Case Study: Brenda Soto
Brenda Soto is the owner of Making a Difference Step by Step, a Virginia Beach small business and a graduate of the Early Education Business Program.
She learned strategic business planning, best marketing techniques for early education, financial management, leadership skills, human resource management and the importance of automation. Read Brenda Soto's Story .
Success Story
Case Study: Erika Campfield
Listen to Erika Campfield’s Story – the owner of Amberley Childcare, a Virginia Beach small business and 2016 graduate of the Early Education Business Program.
Program Business Statistics
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